A World Alone
by lilacismx
Summary: Set after the events of X3 The Last Stand. What if the Wolverine isn't as unique and alone as he thinks? A broken, nomadic Logan returns to the mansion to meet someone who has the ability to change his and the X-Men's lives forever. Action packed, occasional comedy, and lots of romance and drama. Logan/OC/Warren triangle, Rogue/Bobby, eventual Storm/Hank. Read and review!
1. It's History

_AN: My first X-Men fanfic! Set after the events of the Last Stand and right before the events of The Wolverine. I don't own any characters except Kaia. Please read and review and let me know what you think…_

_Ps: I have posted this before but decided to restart the story afresh. So if it seems familiar - it is! Under my old penname Passionflower1313._

* * *

**Chapter One: It's History**

"Logan!"

_Ugh._

Logan reluctantly lifted his head from where it was buried in the covers, frowning in the darkness. A small sliver of sunshine shone through the curtains. "What?" He barked grumpily. After a beat of silence, the voice responded. "Get up. Someone's here for ya."

Logan's brow furrowed as he reluctantly dragged himself into an upward position. Standing slowly and stretching out his sore, aching muscles, he clicked his neck, catching his reflection in the small cracked mirror hanging on the cabin wall. He paused, looking at the face that stared back at him. He looked the same, but he had grown a heavy, bedraggled beard and had dark circles under his eyes. Frankly, he looked like shit.

_Whatever. _Logan picked up the nearest thing to him (a not yet smoked cigar) and threw it at his reflection, leaning down to pull on jeans and a thick black hoodie. His leather jacket remained untouched on the floor. He looked at it, sighing inwardly for a moment. Everything was different.

"Logan?"

He rolled his eyes, throwing open the door aggressively. "Alright, alright." A portly, grinning man stood before him, a big cowboy hat perched on his head.

"Be polite. Manners never got no one anywhere." He told him pointedly, his Southern twang ringing through his words.

Logan gave him the finger in response.

"Someone's here to see you." The man ignored him, one eyebrow cocked. Logan frowned. "Who? How? No one knows I'm here." He muttered, and the man shrugged. "Dunno. You should probably go check it out though." Logan nodded brusquely, pausing.

"Thanks." He mumbled, and the man smiled. "Go on. It's about time you had a friend visit." He said warmly, as Logan headed towards the stairs, wondering who from his past was waiting for him. 

* * *

Ororo Monroe looked around the room, her nose wrinkled slightly. It was a ranch, and the kitchen was nothing short of unhygienic. She felt out of place in her neatly pressed clothes and newly cropped hair, so she stood instead, by the bar. She let her mind wander to everything that had happened since she had last seen the Wolverine. _How am I going to tell him? _She wondered idly.

"Storm." Logan's voice, familiar, interrupted her thoughts. She whirled around, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. The man in front of her looked so different to the confident, brash Logan she knew and remembered. His eyes were cold and guarded, his mouth set in a firm line. His face completely covered in facial hair, his big physique hidden in an even bigger jumper.

"Logan. It's so good to see you." Ororo said warmly, as Logan strode down the stairs.

"What is it?" he asked shortly. "Let's get to the point. And how did you find me?"

Storm froze for a moment. "Maybe you should sit down." She offered, but Logan shook his head. "I'm perfectly fine standing."

Ororo nodded, sighing, and crossed her arms. "We located you with one of the new students from the school. And I'm here because… we need you to come back." No sooner had the words left her mouth when Logan scoffed loudly. "No."

"Logan, it's more complicated than-"

"No." His voice was steely, final. Ororo hesitated.

"It's about your past." She began hesitantly. She took Logan's answering silence as a cue to continue. "We found something."

* * *

Kaia woke up in an unfamiliar room.

She woke up without opening her eyes. It was something she was always careful about doing, allowing her senses to be heightened in the moment she woke up.

_Prick._

Moving in a flash, she sat up, grabbing whoever it was that was injecting her arm, holding them up against a wall in an instant. Her dark eyes met blue, and she tightened her grip on his neck. He choked out something garbled that vaguely resembled the word "Stop", and she released him, leaving him gasping on the floor. She glanced at him quickly, taking him in- he was blonde, tall, and extremely broad shouldered. A slight ripple of shock jarred her system, before she briskly shook her head.

_It's not him, Kaia._

He looked up at her, a mixture of confusion and fear in his eyes. She glanced down at herself, ripping off the small wires patched on her body. _Where the hell am I? _She turned, leaving the room, dressed only in a small white hospital slip. Her raven black tresses were a sharp contrast against the white, but when she stepped into the corridor, where everything was sleek and blue, she felt a bit safer.

Looking around frantically for something warmer to wear, she found a small drawer, pulling open a grey zip hoodie and throwing it on. She rushed down the corridor, feeling mounting fear and worry, looking down at her arm and wondering who it was that was trying to inject her. What they had tried to inject her with.

Looking up, she saw an elevator at the end of the hallway, and breaking into a sprint, was safely in the elevator. When the door rang and it opened at the top floor, she found herself in a library-like room. Inside it was a mix of people, two bright blue mutants, one covered in biblical carvings and the other covered in fur. It didn't faze her, in an instant; she had taken in the others taking up the room- a petite girl with streaky hair and a good looking young man, blonde. All mutants. And they all turned and looked at her in surprise.

Kaia reacted instantly. "Who the hell are you?" She snapped out, and one of the blue men, the furry one, stood up.

"Calm down," He said soothingly, stepping towards her, and reacting instinctively, Kaia growled, slamming her arms beside her body as long metallic claws shot out between her knuckles.

* * *

"What do you mean, she's like me?" Logan questioned. Storm was sitting at one of the tables, having explained the situation. "She has adamantium fused to her skeleton exactly the same as you. She has the ability to heal. And… we're not sure, but she may have her memories."

Logan let a heavy breath escape his lips, shocked. "And you just… found her?"

Storm frowned. "I was having odd dreams. Dreams of Charles… Charles telling me to go to her apartment in Brooklyn, find her before anyone else did, so a group of us went to go check it out. And when Warren and I went inside, we discovered her unconscious, and another mutant hunched over her body. He disappeared before we got get a good hold on him and we took her back to the mansion."

Logan nodded, absorbed in thought. "If I come back," He said slowly. "It's not to be part of the X-Men again. It's not to do anything like that. I'm coming to talk to this girl, see if she can help me. And if not, I'm leaving."

Storm nodded, relief passing across her delicate features. "She's still in a coma," She explained. "But when she wakes up she might be disoriented. We need you. And you might need her too."

Logan shrugged, standing up. "We'll see. Let me get my stuff." He said gruffly, and Storm watched his retreating back, smiling despite herself. 

* * *

"What do you mean you couldn't bring Kaia back?" He span on her, his eyes flashing. She shrugged apologetically.

"Some of those X-Men came." She said, her tone subservient. Her head was bowed.

"Well," He snarled, slamming a fist down. "She's ours. Bring her to me. I don't care at what cost."

She looked at him, her eyes a kaleidoscope of different emotions.

At last, she nodded. "Yes sir." He smiled slowly, picking up a glass of scotch and taking a long sip. "Good girl."

* * *

_**Review!**_


	2. Familiar Places

_AN: What are your thoughts on my OC Kaia? Let me know! Please Read & Review._

* * *

**Chapter Two: Familiar Places**

Logan stood outside the familiar brick wall of Xavier's school, taking a deep breath. Images flashed quickly through his mind –faces-, of Charles, Scott, and of course, Jean. He let his eyelids flutter shut briefly as he pictured her eyes, a dark soulless black, melting into her familiar brown eyes, the eyes that had changed back into the ones he had fallen in love. He watched the life drain out of her, and it was all his fault.

His eyes snapped open. One eyebrow cocked, he turned to Ororo and shrugged brusquely.

"We going in or what?"

Ororo had been watching him worriedly, but upon his snappy request, she settled her features with a smile and nodded.

"Of course, Logan. Whenever you are ready."

Logan simply grunted in response and began walking, stopping mid-step and turning to face Ororo.

"Remember, if this new discovery or whatever isn't worth my time, I'm leaving." His voice bordered on menacing, which he almost felt guilty for, but Ororo simply nodded calmly. "I know."

Logan hesitated. "Kay." He muttered, and turned around again, trudging towards the place he had escaped months ago. 

* * *

She was crouched mid-air, claws out, and not one of the faces who stared back at her registered shock.

She hesitated, unsure of what to do. Usually at this point, whoever was on the receiving end of her snarl/claws combination freaked out. But instead, four mutant faces looked back at her patiently. Well, one of them, the darker blue one with all the carvings, looked a bit apprehensive.

"What the hell is going on here?" She said quickly, in a low voice.

"Is she going to hurt us?" The frightened one whispered, his voice thick with a German accent. Kaia fought the urge to roll her eyes and deepened her glare.

"Can someone answer me? Where the hell am I?"

The blue furry one stepped forward diplomatically, raising his hands -_or paws, _Kaia mused wryly- in an offering of peace.

"Sit down, please. We'll explain everything." He gestured towards one of the couches. Kaia's eyes narrowed. "I'd rather stay standing." She straightened, and retracted her claws. The blue creature shrugged in response. "Whatever you find suits you." He responded in an even, calm tone.

"We are not here to hurt you. We are professors and mutants here at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. We are a facility and school designed specifically to educate, assist and support young mutants. Behind closed doors, we are a team, working against threats to mutant-kind and gathering research. I assure you- you are perfectly safe and supported here."

Kaia blinked, and before she could help it, a short, barking laugh had escaped her mouth.

"I'm sorry, that sounds like bullshit." She said shortly. "How did you find me?" Furball, as Kaia had chosen to nickname him, looked at Prematurely Aging Girl and Whipped Boyfriend fleetingly. "Two of our older professors found you collapsed, Storm and Warren. Rogue and Bobby were with them on the journey. You had been badly injured."

Kaia stayed still, one eyebrow cocked sceptically.

"Badly injured? Yeah ri-"

"We know you can heal." The so called Rogue, the partially white haired one, intercepted. Her Southern accent immediately annoyed Kaia, who shot the younger girl a withering look.

"Well done genius, you get a gold star." She said icily. Rogue's mouth opened, but the blonde boy beside her put a warning hand on her shoulder.

"You had your claws out while you were unconscious- most likely due to the extremely potent paralytic chemical we found in your system. One unlike any particular substance any of us have ever come across… which leads us to suspect it was mutant related. Whoever had been with you fled when our X-Men arrived, and they brought you here straightaway. You're very lucky they found you when they did." Furball added, gesturing to the couple.

Kaia rolled her eyes. "Yeah thanks, now I'm in a so called school for other freaks when I could be back in the real world."

"Kaia, you need to cooperate with us. We want to help you. You don't have to stay, but at least until we're certain you're safe and protected we'd prefer you stay here. And well… we have seen someone like you before." Furball said softly. Kaia paused. "Last thing I remember is going out to a club. Having a drink. _Trying, _to have a good time. Next thing I know I'm here, surrounded by two blue guys and two teenagers." Her words came out like bullets. Furball paused, looking at her meaningfully.

"Do you remember anything about how the adamantium became part of you?"

Kaia's blood ran cold.  
_  
They know._

She froze, opening her mouth to come up with a sharp response but nothing came. "Hank…" The young boy murmured. Kaia's mind was still frozen. Her eyes darted around the room, looking for escape routes. But at that same moment, the door swung open, and two people walked in. 

* * *

Logan walked into the Professor's old office and immediately took in his surroundings. Rogue and Bobby were standing tersely by a chair, holding hands and looking worried. Kurt looked petrified, cowering behind a chair. Hank was standing, a struggling look of calm on his face. And there was a girl, who Logan could only assume was this so called Kaia.

He looked at her quickly, taking in all of her features. She was surprisingly small, lean, built like a leopard. She had long messy black waves of hair down her back and creamy skin. Her eyes were a fierce dark brown and her striking features were twisted into an angry, hard expression.

At the sound of their arrival, her eyes snapped over to them, and met his. He had never seen such angry eyes… except in his own reflection. Her face remained controlled but he noticed the slight fear in her eyes and knew that somehow, something had gotten lost in translation and she was afraid of them. And in that moment of realization, she snapped.

She lashed out all of the sudden, stretching her body to kick the chair in front of her, sending it slamming into Hank, who caught by surprised, tumbled over. She spun in the air, and landed in a crouch, before she turned and scaled the wall as agilely as a jungle cat. Logan's head darted to look at where she was headed- the air vent, and before he could jump up and get her himself, Kurt had suddenly appeared in a flash of blackened swirls, seizing her and teleporting her back to the ground.

She immediately knocked him in the face with one elbow, sending him reeling back with a whimper, and she whirled around, facing a frozen Bobby and Rogue, a still dazed Beast, Nightcrawler and of course, Storm and himself, and with that, she snarled, and five long, metallic, sharp claws came shooting out between her knuckles with a metallic sound familiar to Logan.

His breath stopped. He felt like he was looking in some bizarre mirror. Even after seeing the snakelike woman who was Stryker's assistant back at Alkali, they weren't the same and he assumed that they were the only ones who had faced adamantium experimentation. But looking at this woman, whose claws were identical to his, he realized he wasn't so unique after all.

And just like that, he reacted. He growled, and his claws shot out. Her cold expression completely fell away, exposing utter shock and confusion in her face. In that moment, Logan realized how pretty she could be, with her face open and soft like that, but just as quickly, she covered it.

"We're not the bad guys. Looks like we're more similar than you think." He said in a quick, harsh voice. She eyed him, then paused, looking at the tag he was wearing on his neck.

"Where did you get that?" She asked in a tight voice. He didn't respond, because she did. Retracting her claws, she reached up to her neck and pulled out something that was hidden from view before. A silver dog tag necklace, stamped with the words, _Wolfcub._

* * *

_**Review!**_


	3. Glory and Gore

_AN: Review!_

* * *

**Chapter Three: Glory and Gore  
**

Kaia took a deep breath, letting her head fall back against one of the wood panelled walls. After the intense confrontation in the study, she had retracted her claws, muttered that she needed some air, and briskly left the room. She'd only made it around the corner until she collapsed against a wall.

She had a million thoughts racing through her mind, but one main thought prevailed over the others- _you're not alone._

She let her eyelids flutter shut as she remembered the pure, unadulterated shock that coursed through her veins when she saw that guy, whoever he was, when his claws came out. The dog tag around his neck, immediately causing her to question everything she once believed so firmly.

She still wasn't sure if he could trust him, but she couldn't think clearly enough to make a decision- stay or go. The truth was, she was tired of running. Tired of being on her own.

Even though she was relaxed, deep in thought while she melted into the wall, she was still alert, and stiffening at the tiniest sound of footsteps, her eyes snapped open in time to see the same man standing in front of her. He looked like a caveman, with a scraggly beard and tired pained eyes.

"You okay?" His voice was gruff.

She nodded tersely in response, suddenly afraid to speak.

"I'm Logan." He finally said, before sliding down the wall to sit beside her. She liked that he didn't ask her permission to sit, that he just did it. She appreciated that someone, for once in her life, didn't tiptoe around her when knowing what she was capable of.

"So you're as fucked up as I am." She said finally, her voice carefully composed. "Wolverine." She added, a slight tone of mocking in her voice. She chose not to reveal her name to him, even though he probably already knew. A personal choice. In her peripheral vision, she saw him staring at her.

"I don't remember anything about how I became so fucked up. But yeah, aside from that, I guess I am." His voice was strained. She immediately felt a pang of guilt. She blinked. She didn't feel guilt anymore.

She didn't apologize, she just stared ahead, steeling her emotions. She didn't know why, the moment she had seen those claws, realized she wasn't alone, her stony façade started slipping away.

"I didn't remember anything either." She finally said, her voice lowering. She sensed him looking at her. "But," She added quickly, sensing his hope. "What I do remember is scarce. All I know, is how to remember."

She still didn't look at him. She looked down at her reddened knuckles, touching the raw skin between them with ghost fingers. He stayed quiet, as if he understood not to rush her, to let her speak. Unspoken communication flowed between them.

"I think… in moments of true happiness, when your mind isn't in pain, isn't destroying itself… it heals. It's only happened to me once. And I didn't remember much. Just a name, and a face…"

"William Stryker." He answered for her, his deep voice startling her. She didn't let it show, remaining composed. "Stryker is dead." He continued. Kaia struggled to keep emotion off of her face.

_My only chance for answers… dead. _She blinked back whatever feelings were causing her throat to tighten.

"I don't think it's possible for me to have moments of true happiness. Whatever close to happiness I had, is now gone." His voice was edged with bitterness and pain, and she turned, looking at him properly for the first time. His eyes were filled with pain, pain that she knew was in hers. His lips were pressed together, his jaw set. His muscular forearms were crossed.

She stood up, suddenly feeling like she wanted to leave. She felt too vulnerable, too exposed.

"Hey. They're good people." She looked down at him, he wasn't looking at her. But the unspoken words were clear- _let them help you. _And for some reason, she believed him.

She nodded, even though she knew he couldn't see her, and turned, walking away. She paused mid step, turning. She looked at him, a broken man, sitting against a wall, his face a mixture of pain and understanding. She knew by the way his eyes fluttered that he was processing everything, he was processing her arrival in his life, as much as she was processing his. She recalled his words, about lost happiness, and she opened her mouth.

"I'm Kaia."

He looked up at her and for the first time since they had been together in that room, their eyes connected. His eyes, brown and warm, were open, vulnerable, and she suddenly realized her eyes too, weren't guarded. He nodded, a tiny, imperceptible nod, and suddenly afraid of something that she couldn't recognize, she turned, striding away, letting her face fall back into its natural state, guarded and hard as steel.

She had to be strong. 

* * *

"_That_. Was scary."

Kurt was the first to speak, still slumped on the floor in an uncomfortable tangle of limbs. Ororo rolled her eyes, striding over to him and offering him a hand.  
Hoisting him up, she sighed heavily.

"Give him a break. He's been through a lot." She said defensively. On the way here, Logan had fallen asleep, and throughout his fitful slumber were several terrified moans and the repetition of the word "Jean." Storm sighed heavily.

"I was actually talking about the Wolfcub." Kurt said matter of factly, smiling tentatively at Storm. They were good friends, but more often than not, Storm found herself exasperated by Kurt's childlike innocence and enthusiasm. Probably a sign she was becoming too cynical for her own good.

"She _is_ scary." Bobby intercepted, his own eyes wide with a similar childlike innocence. Storm opened her mouth in protest, but this time, it was Hank who interrupted smoothly. "_Kaia_, not 'Wolfcub'. She's been through a lot, Bobby. Unlike Logan, she's never had anyone like us to help her. I very much doubt she's even had close interactions with a fellow mutant before." His words sunk in, silence hanging in the air.

"I hope Logan's okay." Rogue said stubbornly. "Logan will be _fine._ It's not like he can die." Bobby told her, rolling his eyes. "Either can she!" Rogue retorted.

"Believe me, I've tried the whole dying thing. Didn't work."

The voice at the door startled everyone into silence. Kaia stood there, her hands on her hips, her lips twisted in the barest of scowls.

"I guess I'm staying." She said finally. "Sorry if I hurt you." She added in a mutter to both Kurt and Hank. "I'll show you to your room." Storm rushed to her feet, desperately trying to eradicate the tension in the atmosphere. "I'm Ororo Monroe. This is Hank McCoy, Rogue, Bobby Drake and Kurt Wagner." She gestured to each person.

"I was known in the circus as the Incredible Nightcrawler, Miss Wolfcub." Kurt chimed in. Kaia's face remained stony.

"Okay. Sure. Whatever. Where's my room?" She said bluntly, stepping outside. Storm gave Rogue a warning look before turning and following the new angry  
addition to the Xmen clan outside.

* * *

"She's with them now?"

His eyebrows were furrowed in annoyance. She nodded obediently. "It appears so."

"How did that happen?" His voice rose in anger, before breaking off into a series of coughs.

"It doesn't matter. Get either of them, I don't care. _Soon._" His words were punctuated with authority, even though his voice was feeble.

"Yes sir." She responded. "Don't worry. I have a plan." 

* * *

"So, this is your room."

Kaia looked at Ororo apprehensively. She had been chattering on about this and that for a while, and Kaia had quickly blocked her out.

"Thanks." She said tersely.

The woman hesitated visibly, before tentatively touching Kaia's forearm.

"I just want you to know… that I can't understand what you've been through. At all. But if you ever need to talk, or if you need anything at all, I am here. We all are." Her voice was soft, soothing. Kaia felt a jarring in her chest, this entire concept of having someone there was unfamiliar to her. She paused, looking at Ororo with a hard expression, trying to determine if there was something in her eyes to reveal deception, a trick. But there was nothing but sympathy. Kaia generally hated sympathy, but in this woman's eyes, sympathy didn't make her feel pathetic.

"Thank you, Ororo." Kaia finally responded, managing the tiniest of smiles, which probably looked more like a grimace than a grin. Ororo nodded, satisfied, before turning and leaving Kaia alone.

She looked around. The room was small; with all the necessities for things Kaia didn't have- a closet, a bed, a bedside table, a small ensuite bathroom. Upon careful inspection, Kaia noticed that someone had left staples for her- a toothbrush, some plain simple pairs of jeans and tshirts, a few towels. She quickly changed out of her hospital gown and hoodie into a well fitted black tshirt and a pair of black jeans. Surveying her reflection, she wondered how she had gotten to this point. Gotten here. And she wondered for the millionth time, if she was making a huge mistake.

It was then that someone stopped outside her door. Kaia immediately went on the alert- it was a product of her upbringing and everything that had happened to her, to be suspicious. As quietly as she could, she unleashed her claws and swung open the door. Logan stood there, and his eyes immediately went to her clenched fist.

She blinked, before snapping into realization and retracting them with a loud metallic swoosh. She flinched a little at the pain. "Hurts, doesn't it?" Logan said wryly to her, but he wasn't smiling. She shrugged, and turned. "What do you want?" She asked brusquely.

"Are you alright?"

She span on her heel, facing him. She looked at him carefully, at his unkempt hair and the tired expression in his eyes. He looked like an exhausted old man, who had seen too much of the world. She wondered how she looked to him- probably an angry, fierce psycho. Good.

"I'm fine." She responded shortly, busying herself by opening and closing her new wardrobe, trying to pretend she was doing something useful, when really, being around Logan frightened her. Why he did, she wasn't quite sure yet.

"Do you ever wish you could remember?" He said finally, and she froze mid movement. Her mind debated quickly what to do. Clearly Logan was searching for something, and she could either give in, or kick him out, quite literally.

She stood up, before sitting down on the end of her bed. She met his eyes. Her expression was carefully emotionless. "All the time." Her voice cracked a tiny bit. Absently, she touched her knuckles. His eyes trailed her movements, but he stayed silent. She appreciated it.

"What happened to you?" She asked abruptly. He raised an eyebrow in question. "You look like a hobo." She said shortly. His lips turned up uncontrollably into a laugh. She found herself smiling back. The feeling was strange and she quickly trained her face back into expressionless.

"You don't want to know." He said finally, his face turning sombre. She wondered what had happened to make him what he was. A shell of a person. Maybe it was what had happened to her.

"I get it." She said quietly. He looked at her directly, his expression indiscernible.

"Er, Kaia?" A voice suddenly seemed to come out of nowhere, and Kaia reacted without even thinking about it, growling and unleashing her claws. It didn't register that she was staring at Bobby Drake, the small teenage boy, her claws pointed at him. He looked terrified. She heard Logan snicker in the background, before she quickly retracted them.

"Sorry," She managed to say. Being in this house, feeling vulnerable around these people, had her way too on edge. Bobby nodded nervously.

"Um, I was just coming to say that Beast said that if you need painkillers they have some down in the infirmary. And um, he told me to tell you, 'Welcome back'." He acknowledged Logan for the first time. Kaia almost felt sorry for him, he looked like he was about to pass out, before he skittered away.

"Is Beast the blue dude?" She asked Logan under her breath. Logan smirked in response, before standing up and walking out of the room.

"Yeah, the Furball." He responded, before closing the door.

Kaia couldn't help it. She laughed.


	4. Waffles

AN: _Review!_

* * *

**Chapter Four: Adaptation and Waffles**

Kaia woke up at precisely 7AM.

She had never been a sound sleeper. She always awoke the same way-suddenly, her eyelids flitting open. Even during her sleep, she woke up at even the slightest sound. So last night, what with children's footsteps and soft whispers and giggles and the sounds of what she decided was likely to be midnight trysts between the teenaged mutants, she barely got any sleep.

She stayed there for a long time, thinking. Thinking about her past, about her future, what was going to happen. This place she was in. And of course, the man who had claws like her.

Jumping out of her bed, she gingerly made it, unsure of what she was doing. In this place, she was hyperaware of her every move. At home, in her unkempt, spacious apartment, she'd roll out of her giant bed and roll back in. It was a mess of blankets and pillows and doonas. Now, she had a small compact single bed and she was struggling a lot with what to do with it.

Sighing in frustration, she threw her pillow on top of the crumpled bed and walked over to the small chest of drawers. She was still in yesterday's clothes but she had never been one to care about her appearance, instead, gazing into the mirror's reflection to steady herself. She had faint circles under her eyes and her mouth was set in a grim line.

She glanced over at the clock. It read 9:14AM.

She walked out of her door, still feeling irritated and on edge. It was only when she was outside that she realized she didn't know where to go, or what to do.

"Hey, Kaia." She glanced up, it was the blonde teenager from yesterday. Her lips quirked up in a smirk at the memory of the terrified look on his face when she had nearly jumped in on him in some kind of violent show of what she was capable of. Now, in the morning, he looked sleepy and still slightly afraid.

_Yet he's still talking to me, _Kaia mused. She had to admire his bravery.

She nodded in response. "Ah… are you coming to breakfast?" He asked finally, his voice nervous. Kaia realized she was starving the moment the words left his lips. She nodded tersely. He nodded in response, and then began walking down a corridor, Kaia following silently. The hallways were surprisingly quiet.

"Breakfast is at 9 on weekends." The boy explained. Her silence seemed to be giving him confidence, amusingly enough.

"What's your name?" She asked suddenly.

"Er… Bobby. Bobby Drake." Bobby smiled at her, extending his arm awkwardly mid-walk. Kaia gazed at it silently before reluctantly grabbing it in a firm shake. She stifled a laugh at the way his face twisted in pain.

"Sorry," She apologized, dropping his hand and touching her fist. "I can't help it." She said wryly. Bobby coughed, unsure of whether he was supposed to laugh or not.

Finally, they reached two large wooden doors, which he swiftly opened. And they walked inside the dining hall.

The first thing Kaia noticed was the noise. It was filled with the incessant chatter of people. Young kids, older adults, everyone, talking. She hated noise.

Secondly, the smell of food. Usually it would've enticed her, but it stifled everything and made her head spin. Thirdly, the sudden cut to silence as soon as everyone registered her presence.

Kaia felt her back stiffen as her eyes darted around the room. There were a lot of kids, all staring at her with beady eyes. She began to hear a few whispers, her eyes darting around.

She felt her throat constrict. She felt her arms stiffen with the tell-tale instinct to withdraw her claws, but she knew this was _definitely_ the wrong place. Something told her claws and waffles didn't quite mix.

Clenching her jaw, she whirled around and ran. 

* * *

Logan hated noise. And the dining room at 9:30AM on a Saturday was the epitome of noise.

He scowled to himself as he devoured his fourth bowl of cereal. Kids around him were chattering, their loud happy voices dulling to a whisper as they passed him. He disliked the attention, but was also somewhat used to it enough that he could sit on an empty table and ignore everyone, eating Cheerios like there was no tomorrow. His old X-Men hesitated by his table one by one, but a simple growl and chomp of the Cheerios was enough to send the message, 'I need personal space'. He was determined to get through his breakfast quickly so he could leave this noisy, annoying room.

So he was surprised when his surroundings eclipsed into silence. Interested, he looked around to see what had caused the silence, almost expecting Professor X to be there in his wheelchair, smiling around a sea of frozen children, waffles half crammed in their mouths.

But no, they were all staring at the front of the hall. Craning his neck slightly, he spotted Bobby Drake, looking uncertain, and that girl from yesterday, Kaia. She looked like the proverbial deer in headlights, almost frightened, definitely startled. And he could tell by watching her that she was getting more and more on edge, her eyes darting around like a trapped animal.

Logan could hear the whispers around him from some of the older kids, _"I heard she tried to kill Professor McCoy," _"_Don't go near her- apparently she's dangerous." _And he looked back at the young woman, who had a strained expression on her face, her arms stiff. He knew those telltale signs. She was going to withdraw her claws in the middle of Saturday morning breakfast and cause a pandemonium.

Instead, she turned and sprinted off, without a word. The dining hall remained silent before suddenly breaking into loud excited chatter at what had just happened. Logan stood up suddenly, shooting the kids he had overheard a dark look, before following where Kaia had gone. 

* * *

Kaia wasn't sure where she was going. She couldn't find an exit, so she had resorted to jumping out of the window of the nearest classroom. Which included breaking said window. She was pulling glass fragments out of her arm and silently promising Storm to reimburse the costs of repair, when she stumbled across a small beautiful rose garden.

Something immediately told her to tread quietly and carefully. And it wasn't until she looked closer until she realized she was in the resting place of three people.

She surveyed their headstones, not bothering to read the descriptions but instead focusing on the names. Names meant a lot to her. She had never truly known her own.  
_  
Charles Xavier, Jean Grey, Scott Summers. _She wondered who they were.

"Hey." She turned instantly, coming face to face with the Yeti. She crossed her arms stubbornly.

"What?" She retorted, turning back to face the tombstones. She sensed him standing beside her, gazing onto the headstones as well. She watched him from her peripheral, noticing the way his eyes lingered on all three names. She couldn't read his face, but she could tell that they meant something deeply significant to him.

"You okay?" He spoke suddenly, startling her. She immediately looked away, her face stony.

"I'm fine. Waffles aren't my thing, evidently." She heard the Yeti chuckle.

"I know it gets a bit intense in there. Look, we can head back in 15 minutes and it'll be empty."

Kaia relented. "I'm starving."

He nodded. "I know. Your stomach's pretty fucking loud."

She glared at him. "Yeah, well your beard looks pretty fucking stupid. You have like 5 cheerios stuck in it." She snapped back, and he stared at her silently, before removing said Cheerios. It was so bizarre Kaia almost felt like laughing. Instead, they remained in silence, staring at the headstones.

"How do you do it? Just sit in there while all those people watch you, talk about you?" She finally asked in a carefully composed voice. It struck her that they were still standing side by side, gazing onto three headstones while they threw insults at each other.

"It's not easy. But they're good people and it's all about self-control."

"I have self-control!"

He gave her a dry look.

She sighed heavily in response. "I guess you're right. I mean, I guess I'll be here for a while. I may as well get used to the tiny talkative mutant people."

He turned to her, a smirk on his face. She looked at him front on, at how lined his face was, how weary his eyes were. She wondered if she looked like that, run down, beaten, tired.

"It's pretty weird seeing you. I always thought I was the only one." She said finally. Her voice softened a tiny bit, out of her control.

"There was at least one other person," He replied after a beat of quiet. "She had claws as fingernails. Stryker had her as his assistant."

"So how come she's not being kept prisoner here as well then?" Kaia asked demandingly. She realized it was the wrong thing to ask when she saw pain flicker in his eyes.

"She's dead. I…I killed her."

The words hung heavy. Kaia blinked. "How?" She asked finally, her voice quiet.

"Stuck liquid adamantium in her." He broke his gaze from the headstones to look down at the ground. His voice was hoarse.

"So we can die." She murmured. He nodded. "Yep."

The silence was long, and he was clearly thinking through things in his mind. Kaia once again wondered what he had gone through, what he had seen. Then he looked up and met her gaze, his eyes unreadable.

"Hey," She said finally. He looked at her again as a response. "Can we get breakfast now?"

He laughed, nodding, as they turned away from the small memorial garden.

"Sure." 

* * *

"I feel bad." Rogue looked up as Bobby plonked his breakfast tray beside her, a perplexed frown on his face. She struggled to conceal the happy smile that spread across her face whenever she saw her boyfriend.

"How come?" She questioned neutrally, stealing a strawberry from his plate. He barely noticed, lost in his own world.

"Kaia freaked out before and ran out of the dining hall. Logan followed her, so I think she'll be okay, but I just feel bad." Rogue frowned. She didn't know Kaia very well but the woman's temperamental, snappy temperament irritated her slightly. That, and she had been the only one Logan had acknowledged properly since his return.

"I'm sure she'll be fine." She said stiffly, and Bobby turned to look at her, surprise on his face.

"Do you not like her?" He asked, sounding genuinely surprised. Rogue hesitated. Bobby was such a good person, he always saw the good in everyone.

"I don't dislike her," Rogue began carefully. "She just seems a bit… aggressive. I just want to be careful until I know that she can be trusted." Bobby sighed, taking hold of one of her hands. A slight thrill ran up her spine at his touch. It had been only a few months since the vaccine, but the feeling of being able to touch her boyfriend was a thrill she still hadn't quite been able to shake off.

"I know. But Rogue… think of what she's been through. I feel like we kind of owe it to her, and Logan, to be as welcoming as possible." He smiled at her sunnily, and Rogue sighed.

"I guess." Bobby smiled at her before leaning in and pecking her lightly on the lips.

"It'll all work out Rogue," He whispered, hugging her close. "I promise!"


	5. Still Sane

**Chapter 5: Still Sane  
**

* * *

Kaia was dreaming again.  
_  
Metal. Faceless scientists. A moist, pungent smell in the air. Sharp oxygen, being drawn directly into her lungs. The pain, excruciating pain, everywhere, surrounds her, drowning her, immersing her… and a woman's scream.  
_  
Kaia jolted awake.

She was breathing heavily, her face dotted in sweat. She froze, taking in her surroundings, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. The moonlight glinted on her withdrawn claws. Flinching, she shuddered out a sigh, before tucking her knees under her chin and squeezing her eyes closed. Her eyes were hot with the beginnings of tears, but furiously, she squeezed her eyes tighter. She didn't cry. She never cried. Crying was a sign of weakness, weakness she couldn't afford.

When she opened her eyes again, her claws were right in front of her. She stared at them silently. They were long, sharp, gleaming in the light that shone through the window.

Claws that she wasn't supposed to have, claws that she didn't want to have, and claws that she couldn't remember.

A knock at the door sent another startled shock through Kaia's system, and shaking herself slightly, withdrew her claws quickly and rolled out of bed, opening the door brusquely.

"Yeah?"

Hank stood there, his eyes slightly widened in surprise. Kaia stifled a smirk, she was dressed in nothing but a black singlet and black underwear. Giving Hank a challenging stare, he coughed.

"Ah… um, we're all going to a have a meeting in about 5 minutes, we'd really like it if you came." He managed to inject some of the authority back in his voice. Kaia sighed. "Yeah, alright." She said, before turning, leaving the door open. She wiggled into a pair of jeans and closed the door on her way out. After breakfast, she had ended up spending the entire day sleeping, even skipping dinner in the process. She wasn't hungry- she had ended up devouring nearly everything in sight at breakfast, surprising both the chef Louie, who was a mutant with the odd ability to multiply himself several times, meaning he could constantly be doing every kitchen duty required, and even Logan himself, who ended up watching Kaia eat her 30th piece of bacon with a look of shock on his face.

"How are you settling in, Kaia?" Hank asked politely as they walked. Kaia shrugged. "It's okay." She said truthfully. Having the sleep proved helpful, she felt refreshed (albeit slightly jarred from her vivid nightmare) and as they walked through the school, Kaia appreciated that it was late enough that the mini mutants were already in bed.

"Sorry for nearly slicing your head off the other day," Kaia added, almost as an afterthought. She kept forgetting that she had nearly attacked everyone that she was about to go into a meeting with. Hank laughed. "It's fine." Kaia nodded slowly, surprised at his reaction.

They finally reached the office, and Kaia immediately noticed a plaque outside the door with the same name as the tombstone outside, _Charles Xavier. _They walked in together and the room fell quiet.

She quickly surveyed her surroundings. The same people from the original meeting, plus a big beefy guy holding a silver shark lighter and a small, childlike girl. And, at the back of the room, the tall broad-shouldered blonde man who she had nearly killed in the infirmary. She hadn't seen him since… since, well, she nearly killed him. Upon seeing her, he raised an eyebrow.

Suddenly feeling awkward, she raised a hand to the group in a semi-wave. "Uh," She said, before sinking into a chair. "What are you guys all looking at? I'm not the only one with claws in here." Her attempt at a joke fell flat due to her stiff voice and general clearly uncomfortable demeanor.

Social interactions had never been her thing.

* * *

Logan almost laughed at the awkward joke Kaia had attempted to make. The group were circled, Logan slightly on the outer, silently watching. He caught Kaia's eye, nodding at her and waving a hand in a hello. She simply stared before, smirking, she refocused her attention on the group.

"We are trying to figure out what or who has been hunting you, Kaia."

Logan refocused his attention to Hank, who was standing in front of them, a solemn look on his face. Kaia remained standing, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Yeah, you and me both."

The room eclipsed into quiet, thinking.

"Why would mutants be hunting you?" Storm mused aloud softly. "They have before, that's why." Logan muttered. He didn't realize that the entire room had fallen quiet, hearing his comment. A heavy silence hung in the air.

"He's right," Kaia said finally. She looked up for the first time, managing to stare everyone in the eye. Logan watched her, surprised. "I don't know who would be trying to get me, except that they have before, with ease. Whoever it is, probably has the facilities and the means to find me, and when they do, I'll be here. It isn't fair to any of you that I might endanger you by staying."

She delivered each word in a sharp, matter-of-fact tone, her face set. Logan opened his mouth in protest but was beaten to it by surprisingly, Warren Worthington III.

"And just throw away all the work and effort we've put into making sure you're okay? Don't be self-centred, you're not going anywhere darlin."

Logan rolled his eyes. He didn't know the tall blonde billionaire very well, but what he did know of him, he hadn't exactly warmed to. Warren had been initially broody and quiet when he first arrived in the mansion, but after he had rescued his father and given semi-rights to the Worthington Industries, he had come out of his shell. He loved working in the mansion, and used his inherited knowledge from working in the Industries to help anyone who was sick or injured. He flew back and forth from the Mansion to the big home facilities of Worthington Industries in Manhattan, and had become confident, charismatic and in Logan's opinion, a tad annoying.

But as Logan studied him now, he was surprised to see he had a split lip marring his usually perfect pretty-boy features. Logan smirked. He had heard a rumour Kaia had beaten him up in the infirmary but this was something else. He glanced over at Kaia, who had an unreadable expression on her face.

"Warren's right, Kaia. We'd like you to stay." Storm hastened to add, smiling tenderly at the other woman.

"Yes, stay, stay!" Kurt chorused, clapping his ink blue hands together in excitement. Storm placed a warning hand on his shoulder, as Kaia smiled a tiny smile.

"Yeah c'mon, and at least you're safe in here, if anything happens, we're all pretty good fighters, we have training sessions in the danger room a couple times a week." Bobby added eagerly. Kaia shot him a dry look. "Trust me kid, I can take care of myself." Bobby smiled sheepishly.

"The research I could do would be phenomenal and could help answer some of the questions you seek." Hank added diplomatically, offering an encouraging smile to the woman who was slowly warming up to the group of mutants surrounding her.

"Looks like everyone wants you to stay," Logan finally commented, as Kaia looked across the circle and met his gaze. Logan blinked; it was the first time he had seen her looking like this. Her face was a mixture of surprise and gratitude, her face open. Her eyes were glowing as they stared into his, even from a distance.

_She's beautiful, _he thought to himself, before shaking that thought vigorously out of his mind. As if she had read his thoughts, her face immediately closed up.

"Evidently," She said finally, before turning back to the group.

"I'll stay," She finally conceded. "But," She added, before the group could start talking again. "If anything happens to concern anyone other than myself in terms of whoever is trying to track my ass down, I am leaving."

Storm walked over, giving the young woman a big hug. Logan watched; a look of surprise on Kaia's features.

"Thank you," Storm said, smiling at the young woman. Kaia looked startled and almost wary before she finally awkwardly patted Storm's shoulder.  
"No ah… thank you," She muttered, before Beast opened up a new topic of discussion- who was going to lead the next Danger Room sessions.

Logan let Beast's voice fade out as he watched Kaia, deep in thought.


	6. It Had to be You

**Chapter 6: It Had to Be You  
**

* * *

Warren Worthington III was a guy who, deep down, actually had quite a lot of pride.

It was the reason for everything he did. He cared about what other people thought of him.

He had cared about what his father thought about him, leading him to nearly hack off his wings when he was a younger boy. He cared about what the X-Men had thought of him when he had first arrived in the mansion, which was why he secretly followed them to Alcatraz Island. He cared about what Beast, and Storm, and the others thought of him, which was why he worked so hard in the infirmary. And he cared about what the general public thought of him, which was why he flew back to Manhattan and strapped his wings to his back tightly until they were cramped and aching.

So it made sense that he cared what this new girl thought of him. He had been surprised when she had practically flown out of her hospital bed and crammed him against a wall, until he couldn't breathe. Then just as quickly, she had disappeared, dropping him to the floor.  
Somewhere in the commotion, she had busted his lip. He had been warned that she could potentially be on edge upon waking up but he hadn't expected a re-enactment of Fight Club.

So the moment Hank dismissed the meeting and the group filed out, Warren rushed to catch up with the young woman. He had made her uncomfortable during the meeting when he had spoken out, but that was what he did. He challenged people, and she was no different, regardless of her past. He wasn't going to tiptoe around her.

"Miss Kaia." He greeted in a low drawl, walking beside her. She barely looked up, she had obviously known he was there.

"Hey." Her voice was short.

"I never introduced myself, Warren Worthington III. You can call me Warren if you like. Or you can call me tonight."

He heard Kaia snicker, before completely ceasing to a stop. Warren stopped beside her, a pleasant smile on his face.

"Okay," She said in a sweet voice. "So Tonight, why are you talking to me?" Her voice was like steel. Warren laughed.

"Just thought I deserved an apology. For you know. This." He pointed at his mouth, which Kaia finally seemed to notice. She winced.

"Okay," She finally muttered. "Sorry. But then again, you guys kind of kidnapped me. How did you expect me to react?" She glared at him, and he put his hands up in a mock-surrender.

"You're right. It's my fault my lip split open. God, I'm a silly sausage." Kaia's glare remained intact. "Anyway. Let's put this in the past. Be friends. Hang out. I don't know." Warren's eyes danced as he looked at her. There was something about her that intrigued him.

He hadn't had a problem talking and flirting and spending meaningless nights with women in Manhattan's city, but they were all the same, monotonous, easily won over blondes. This woman was different. She challenged him. She looked at him not like he was a freak, or like he was a God, but like he was equal to her. And he liked that.

Plus, she was pretty hot.

They stayed like that, her glowering at him, him staring at her thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I'm alright thanks." Kaia finally said, turning and walking down the hallway again. Warren followed.

"So, you and the Wolverine are brother and sister of the Claw." Warren commented wryly. Kaia glared at him. "We're not related."

Warren shrugged. "Might as well be."

"We're. Not. Related." Her voice was like steel. Warren shrugged, and they continued to walk in a slightly tense silence.

"So. What's your mutant thing?" She finally asked in a short voice. Warren looked at her. "Mutant thing?" He quoted back. She simply gave him a look.

"Okay, okay. I can fly. I've got wings. I'm like Red Bull." He laughed at his own joke. Kaia didn't.

"So what, that's why your back is so broad?" She said finally.

"That and I swim." Warren said casually. "I'm pretty athletic. I work out."

Kaia rolled her eyes. Warren had a lean body, but he wasn't exactly muscular.

"Okay, so that's my room up there. I'm going to go in and go to sleep. Alone." She said sharply. Warren nodded, before stopping her, touching her arm. She jerked away.

"What?" She asked, and he sighed. "Okay, serious question. I get that you're tightly wound in this place but you seem to especially hate me. Why?"

She hesitated. For the first time, her stony façade slipped, ever-so slightly.

"You remind me of someone I used to know." She said finally. "Bye, Warren."

She whirled around and practically stormed off into her room, the door slamming shut. Warren smirked, watching her leave, before shaking his head and turning back to his own room.

"She sure is something," He murmured to himself, wondering who he reminded her of. 

* * *

Kaia sighed in frustration the minute she was inside of her room. It had been a long, confusing day. She stripped off quickly to just her underwear and bra, turning off the light and slipping into her bed. She lay there awake for a moment, thinking.

All the mutants in the meeting had seemed so earnest when they asked her to stay. Even Rogue, who she was fairly certain didn't like her very much, had looked at her with a similar logical expression to the one Hank had.

Kaia had never had more than one person, let alone a room full of people she barely knew, want her to stick around. She had meant every word she had said, and knew that if anyone came and attacked her within the Mansion grounds, she would leave. She had never enjoyed people taking any kind of fall for her, least of all these people who had been nothing short of generous.

Tomorrow, she was attending her first 'Danger Room' session. She had been surprised when Hank had included her in the breakdown, and at the slightest hint of her protest, he had simply shot her down with a simple "The physical outlet will be good for you." He was right. Kaia's body longed to just be worn down and she longed to let all of her frustration go in a good fight.

He had listed everyone else in the Danger Room session with her, including Logan. Kaia had glanced over at him, only to find him staring directly at her. His dark eyes were piercing and powerful, and she had immediately glanced away, her face hot.

She found Logan confusing, he was abrupt and blunt, and seemed so antisocial and wrapped up in his own world. Frankly, he seemed troubled. But so was she. And, he understood her. And there were moments when she would notice just a glimpse of kindness and softness in him that made her bone ache in a funny, confusing way.

Tossing in her bed, she growled softly in annoyance. She wasn't this girl, the one who lay awake at night thinking about men, or thinking about anything. She was the woman who fell asleep the minute her head hit the pillow and woke up with nothing to think about except, basically, herself.

She had men sleep with her in the past, flimsy one night stands that she immediately kicked out. She didn't do attachment. She had fallen in love one already and she wasn't prepared to ever do that again.

Her mind lingered, out of her control, to the man she had first fallen in love with. It had been almost exactly 10 years ago, just a year after she had lost her memories. She was a shell, frightened and timid, not the strong, independent person she was today. She knew that if she had met herself back then, she wouldn't have hesitated in punching herself in the face.

Then she had met him.

He was an ordinary guy, a human guy, a businessman, with eyes that danced and thick blonde hair. He always wore a suit, and would bring her bunches of sunflowers, and she fell hard and fast for him.  
_  
And it ended.  
_  
Shuddering deeply, she shut off her thoughts. She didn't think back to that time in her life, because she couldn't afford to be that vulnerable. She hadn't thought of him in years, except today, when she had seen Warren again. She'd been shocked when she had first seen him, a contributing factor to why she had attacked him. He was a spitting image of the man she once loved. They could've been brothers.

She shut her eyes, turning off her thoughts. She didn't cry, because she hadn't cried in years and crying wasn't something she did. So, she waited in the darkness, until finally, she fell asleep.


	7. Buzzcut Season

_AN: Review!_

it's stating to merge with the events of 'The Wolverine' film, but with my own twist. You'll see...

_Review for more!_

* * *

**Chapter 7: Buzzcut Season**

She watched silently from outside the mansion. There were six of them. And there he was, standing beside a woman dressed in black leather. She picked up her phone.

"I'm here," She said into it. "I'm going to... _talk_ to him when I can."

She laughed in response to whoever was on the other end of the phone.

"Alright, alright. I'll send Yukio. She's… convincing in a non-threatening way." She looked back up at the window, watching him.

"He's perfect," She purred. "Absolutely perfect." 

* * *

Kaia was in a bad mood.

She had thought Storm was joking when she woke her up this morning with a black leather suit. "It's protectant against the elements, and tapered so it doesn't slow you down." She had explained calmly. Kaia had more or less refused to wear it.

"I can heal!" She protested. "I'm not dressing up in some kinky S&M mutant costume." She had immediately felt bad for yelling at Storm, and after some more convincing; here she was, waiting outside the infamous danger room, clad in black leather.

She could practically feel the pent up energy simmering in her bones. In a way, she was glad she was here. She was in such an awful mood that it practically radiated off of her. The only person who had felt brave enough to stand near her was Logan, who was standing beside her. They'd barely spoken. Bobby, Hank and a young woman who introduced herself as Kitty were standing opposite her, watching the pair of them warily.

Warren breezed in, late as always. "Lookin' good, Claws. Leather works for you." He commented as he strode past, ignoring the snarl from Kaia. She sensed Logan beside her tensing up slightly as well. _Interesting, _she thought to herself. Warren punched in the code, the doors sliding open.

"Okay, so it's me, Bluey and the Wolverine, against you three." He said, pointing to Kitty, Bobby and Kaia. "You have to get these discs off of us. Pretty stupid, I know." He held up three tiny silver discs. Kaia realized she had been lumped in the 'novice' group compared to the other three.

"Wait, so we have to fight you?" She asked cautiously. "Yep. Just don't try to kill us." Warren quipped, before hitting a button on the wall.  
"Count down is a minute."

"Good luck," Hank called.

The room suddenly morphed into what looked like an abandoned factory, and immediately, Warren, Logan and Hank slipped away. Kaia glanced down at Bobby and Kitty, who both looked frightened. "Usually we have Storm or someone on our team," Kitty said finally, her eyes wide. Kaia almost laughed.

"Trust me, you're in expert hands," She said wryly, as the timer went off. Kaia immediately unleased her claws, the sharp metallic sound masked by the timer.

Both Kaia and Bobby's eyes widened.

Kaia immediately let her senses go into overdrive, listening for sounds, anything. And then she heard it. The tiniest of footsteps, to her left.

And he pounced, with a roar. It was Hank, and for the first time, Kaia fully understood why he was called 'Beast'. The usually calm doctor was roaring, his heavy paws swiping at the three mutants. Kaia's body reacted before her mind could, retracting her claws, jumping into the air and using the weight of Hank's body to slam him into the ground.

He was up just as quickly as she was, but she was agile, swerving to avoid his attacks. She was surprised at how good he was, suddenly swinging out at his face. He caught her arms, and the two were locked in a struggle, one that Hank was slowly winning. He was stronger than her. She slowly retracted her claws, until they brushed the tip of his fur, but he didn't budge. He was calling her bluff. She could see the disc tucked in his collar.

It was then that all of the sudden, a sharp blast of ice burst in between them. Kaia sprung back, surprised, when she realized that ice was coming out of Bobby's hands. _Huh. So that's what he can do. _She didn't dwell on it, and instead, used the distraction to pounce on top of Hank, and grab the disc. He grabbed at her, and quickly, she tossed the disc to Kitty, who grabbed it.

"Hide it!" Bobby yelled at her –why he yelled that Kaia had no idea- she used her foot to kick the side of Hank's face, spinning in the air before kicking the side of his legs, making him fall heavily on the ground, before she did a neat backflip, landing on her two feet.

Hank fell to the ground, unconscious.

She blinked, looking down at him.

"That's never happened before," Bobby was beside her, looking shocked. Kaia shrugged. "There's a first for everything," She told him flatly.

"So you make ice… happen," Kaia said to him. He nodded. "Basically." She glanced at Kitty. "What can you do?" She was holding onto the disc.

"Walk through walls."  
_  
Ah. _It made sense for her to hold the disc.

"Good thinking," She told them both, before she felt a pair of hands pull her back. 

* * *

Warren had been watching as Kaia attacked the Beast so quickly and so efficiently, he was passed out before he probably knew what was happening. He was impressed. Girl could talk the talk _and _walk the walk.

He watched from the shadows as the three less experienced mutants talked. He and Logan had already been told by Hank to go one on one against the three, before at the last minute, attacking them all at once. And now it was Warren's turn.

Warren couldn't fight well, but he had the element of surprise up his sleeve as jumping down from his hiding spot, he pulled Kaia backwards.

She stumbled in surprise before just as quickly, sweeping an arm back to punch him. He ducked, before stepping forward and grabbing her tightly to him. She felt her body stiffen when he suddenly lashed out his wings, stretching them out to full wingspan before taking off into the air before she had time to react.

"Hit me, and I drop you," He said in a warning tone. She didn't protest.

"So you really can fly," She said instead. It was then he noticed how close their faces were.

"Hence the wings, genius." He quipped back. She laughed. He was surprised at how different she was. She was lighter, happier. _All because she punched a few guys, _he mused to himself.

"I like your hair like that," He told her, pleased with himself when she blushed slightly before glaring at him. Her wavy black hair was done in a high ponytail, showing off her striking features. "You're really hot," He told her in a matter-of-fact tone. "We should go out sometime. Do service to the mutant dating community."

"I really don't like heights," She ignored him, glancing down and wincing. They were getting pretty high up in the air.

"I'm sorry I have to do this to you gorgeous." He told her, before flying to the top of a crane and landing. "But, Hank said to give you a challenge, and the other two a chance."

They were well above ground level. The crane itself was fragile. Kaia looked visibly unsettled. "Warren," She began in a low voice. "If you leave me here I will slice your balls off." The edge in her voice was menacing. He shrugged, he had to tend to the two youngsters back on ground level. "Adios," he grinned, before he dove off the crane, his majestic white wings stretching to carry him.

It wasn't until he was halfway back to the ground that he realized Kaia had taken his disc. 

* * *

Logan was waiting for Kaia up on top of the crane.

Heights didn't frighten him, like it clearly did Kaia. She looked uneasy and uncertain on top of the crane, and like she was ready to jump.

Flying freaked the hell out of him, and Warren had to carry him up here, making witty comments about how heavy he was the entire way. When they had finally arrived, he'd flown off with a yell of "See ya Moses!" Logan had to fight the urge to give him another split lip to match the one he already had.

He withdrew his claws, the metal sound immediately capturing Kaia's attention. She gazed directly at him. "Come. On." She muttered more to herself than for his benefit, but he smiled anyway.

"Just so you know," She began, circling him. "If we were not a million metres above ground level I would so kick your ass." She withdrew her claws. He grinned at her. She rolled her eyes back. And just like that, he sprung into action.

It was a fragile crane, with every heavy movement it swayed. So when he lashed out at Kaia, it trembled. And she froze. And his foot actually connected with her stomach, sending her flying back on the edge of the crane. He froze. He had been expecting a response, he knew she was a talented fighter but he had misjudged how crippling her fear of heights was. Rushing over to her, he hovered over her body. She was motionless, her claws retracted.

"Kaia?" He murmured, before suddenly her eyes sprang open.

"Jackass," She mumbled. He chuckled, before realizing how close they were. How pretty she was up close. She stared back at him, her expression unreadable. He was suddenly hyper-aware of how fast his heart was beating. He leaned in closer, suddenly smelling her. She smelt pretty damn good, like smoky coconuts, if that even made sense.

_Logan! _Jean's voice suddenly echoed in his mind, making him jump. He didn't look away from Kaia's dark eyes, afraid that if he did, a hallucination of Jean would be waiting for him. He was aware that all he wanted was to kiss the woman lying underneath him. Kaia. She leaned closer too, her arm curving around his neck.

"Logan," She whispered softly.

And with that, she suddenly brought her knee up, hoisting her body upwards in one smooth motion, springing up like a cat. Surprised, he fell backwards, looking up in time to see her tucking his chip in her sleeve. She hesitated for one moment, staring at him. He stared back. He felt like he was dreaming. Jean was standing beside her, dressed in a pale pink camisole. She had a knowing look in her eyes. They were so different. He knew she wasn't real, but she looked like she was. Kaia was still standing there, staring at him. Logan stared at her. The memory of their almost kiss was vivid in his memory.

And then she backflipped off the crane.

Logan scrambled over to the side, watching as her nimble body shot down into the ground. "She'll be okay," Jean whispered in his ear. Logan shut his eyes. He hadn't seen Jean since he had returned to the mansion. "It's just you and me now." She added.

But when Logan opened his eyes, Jean was gone.

"Jean _is_ gone," He snarled to himself. So he did the next thing he could think of.

He jumped off the crane too, plummeting into the earth minutes after Kaia.


	8. Pure Impact

_AN: Please review if you're reading… _

**Chapter Eight: Pure Impact**

* * *

Warren had Bobby and Kitty cornered. He was about to demand that she hand over the chip when something heavy plummeted into the ground metres away from them. He recognized the black tresses of hair and blinked in shock.

"Kaia?" Both he and Bobby spoke at the same time, rushing over to her body. It was mangled, her legs splayed at awkward angles, her neck dislocated. Kitty gasped, immediately burying her face into Bobby's chest, Bobby too looked away, cringing. Any other time Warren would've clucked at the pair and not-so-subtly referenced Rogue, but he was more focused on Kaia.

It was then that her eyes opened, and she groaned. "Ouch," She muttered, before gingerly sitting up and wincing in the pain.

All three, Bobby, Kitty and Warren had eyes like saucers as Amy carefully popped her limbs back into place, groaning.

"What?" She demanded, glaring at the three of them.

"Ew." Warren said finally.

It was then that another plummeting body collapsed with a ring of dust beside Kaia. The dust cleared, revealing Logan.

"Jesus Christ, they just keep coming," Warren muttered, looking up at the sky. Kitty looked like she was ready to faint.

"Just because you can heal doesn't mean you can just throw yourself off buildings!" It was Hank, who had made his way over to the scene, looking bruised and annoyed. He placed a comforting arm around the panicky looking Kitty.

Kaia looked sheepish. "Sorry…" she called. "And for ah… knocking you out."

Logan, in the middle of clicking his leg back into place, looked up, amused.

"But we got all three discs," Kaia added, holding up the two discs from her sleeve. "So, we win?" Hank didn't respond, simply sighing huffily.

"You're the one who has a Kaia-shaped hole in the ground. Wouldn't exactly say you're a winner." Warren commented dryly, as the Danger Room dissolved back into blue.

"I'm going to put a Warren shaped hole in the ground soon," She retorted icily.

Hank sighed, helping Logan up. "You could've waited for Warren to get you," he chided both Logan and Kaia. Kaia shrugged. "Nah." She said simply. Logan nodded. "What she said."

Hank sighed. "That was the strangest Danger Room session I've ever had," He groaned. Warren gave him a look, gesturing at Kaia and Logan, who were stretching out their bodies, while a terrified Bobby and Kitty watched.

"You don't say," Warren drawled, sighing.

* * *

Logan walked outside of the mansion, a cigar in his hand. Sighing heavily, he lit it up, inhaling gratefully. After a painful and confusing Danger Room, he had disappeared as quickly as possible, slipping on the familiar oversized hoodie and heading to the borders of the mansion. There were certain private secluded places where he used to go to smoke, and that was what he needed right now.

It was already night-time, the sky pitch black. _Scheduling Danger Room after dinner was a stupid idea, _Logan thought, he could barely see anything in the darkness.

His mind was racing. He had nearly kissed Kaia. He saw Jean again; when he thought the last hallucination had passed. Yes, he had still been thinking about her, but he hadn't seen her. At first, he missed her. But now she was seemingly back.

That was when someone spoke.

"Hello Logan."

He nearly yelled, instead stifling the shout when he came face to face with a small Asian woman. She had a blunt fringe and big, inquisitive eyes. In the moonlight, he could just make out her features. Something about her face told him to stop before bringing his claws out and attack, instead he narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Who the hell are you?" He frowned at the half-smoked cigar he had dropped on the ground. She smiled cheerily. "Me? I'm Yukio." Her voice was stilted, slightly accented.

"And?" Logan bent down, retrieving it. He attempted to dust off the dirt on it, frowning.

"I've been trying to find you for over a year." She said it as if it was everyday knowledge.

"Why?"

She looked him square in the eye. "Come with me and I'll explain." She turned, and walked out of the mansion. He hesitated. He had to admit, his curiosity was piqued. Growling, he tossed his cigar onto the ground and followed her. A beautiful, sleek Audi was parked directly outside the mansion. Yukio was already sitting inside. Sighing, Logan opened the door. The rational part of him knew it was ridiculous to get in the car of a strange woman who had been stalking him for a year, but he abandoned rationality a long time ago. And, it was a nice car.

"Why am I here?" He asked coldly the moment he was seated. Yukio put the car into ignition and began driving.

"To give you that. My employer wanted you to have it." She pointed to the backseat.

"Who's your employer?" He didn't look back.

"Master Yashida."

She said it as if it was obvious, but the name rang no bells of recognition. He hesitated. He didn't remember anything. Instead, he looked back at the backseat, where a beautiful Japanese sword sat. Gingerly, he reached out, touching it. It was ornate, decorated in beautiful carvings.

"He said it belongs to you. And he is repaying all debts. Master Yashida is dying. He wants to thank you for saving his life all those years ago. He knows you are… a busy man. But he very much wants to say goodbye in person." Yukio added, her car driving smoothly down the highway. Logan wondered idly where they were going, thinking over the entire encounter over in his mind.

"Aright, where is he?"

Yukio paused. "Tokyo."

Logan scoffed. "I'm not going to Japan."

"It would be dishonourable for you to refuse this request." Yukio protested. Logan rolled his eyes. No matter how badly he wanted to uncover the details of his past, he wasn't about to pick up and leave the country.

"Well apologize for Mr Yashida but I'm not going to Tokyo." He said brusquely.

Yukio smiled placidly at him. "Do not apologize. It's been an honour just to meet the Wolverine."

Logan growled. "That's not who I am anymore, do you understand?" He snapped.

She nodded slowly. "Interesting. Then why are you back at Xavier's Academy?"

Logan glared at her. She really had been stalking him.

"I don't know." He replied shortly.

"You don't know? I think you know. You are a soldier."

He growled. "I'm getting out." She simply leaned over and pressed lock on the car doors, ignoring Logan's clearly mounting rage. "You are a soldier. And you seek what all soldiers do. An honourable death, an end to your pain."

Logan blinked obstinately at her. "Who says I'm in pain?"

Yukio hesitated. "A man who has nightmares every night of his life is in pain."

The car eclipsed into quiet. Logan realized she was taking them to the airport.

"Take me back to the mansion. I'm not going to Japan. I have… commitments here to deal with first." Logan said finally. Yukio nodded, changing lanes. "Whatever you say," She said smoothly. "Thank you for speaking with me."

Logan didn't answer, he simply stared out the window and frowned. He had an unsettled feeling in his stomach, like something was wrong, and he didn't know why. 

* * *

Kaia was feeling a lot lighter when she left the Danger Room. Yes, she had been in a lot of pain and pissed off a few people but the physical outlet for all the confused and angry feelings she had been having was appreciated. Plus, peeling off the awful leather onesie and putting on her normal clothes was a feeling of relief.

So she was annoyed when she was stopped the minute she left by none other than Warren Worthington, dressed in a nice jumper and jeans.

"Claws," He addressed. Kaia growled. "What?" her voice was cold. "I've got something to show you." He gave her a challenging smile. Kaia gazed at him with a scathing expression.

"I swear to God if it's your 'Little Warren' I am going to actually slice your balls off…" Warren pretended to think about it, laughing, but rolling her eyes, Kaia stormed down the hallway. Warren sighed, following her.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I just get nervous around you, you're just so pretty." He told her in a joking tone, Kaia gave him a cold look behind her shoulder, reaching her bedroom. She attempted to slam the door shut, but Warren walked inside anyway, a smile on his face.

"Kaia," He began, as she turned to face him, when a small movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He froze.

There was someone dressed completely in black, perched up somehow in the top corner of the room, holding a machine gun. He could make out the reflection  
in the mirror opposite Kaia.

She blinked, looking at him, annoyed. Her annoyance was clearly clouding her judgment, she hadn't yet noticed the dude hanging out on the ceiling.

"What. Warren, what is it?" She asked, before Warren lashed out, using his wings to boost him up in the air and headbutt the hidden guy until he collapsed to the ground.


	9. Fallout

_AN: I've decided to keep going with this- hopefully over time people start reading it and enjoying it! Any feedback would be so appreciated :)_

* * *

**Chapter 9: Fallout**

Logan didn't say goodbye to the stranger, accepting her phone number should he 'change his mind' and slipped it in his pocket, knowing he'd forget about it. He was carrying the gifted katana sword, his eyebrows raised in scepticism. It was an odd turn of events, to say the very least.

The second his foot stepped place in the mansion's grounds however, his senses went into overdrive.

_Something was wrong.  
_  
He trusted his instincts above all else, they had never led him astray. And now, with his skin prickling, he had the overbearing feeling that something was definitely not right.

Hitching the Japanese sword over his shoulder, he broke into a careful sprint until he got to the mansion, quietly slipping in through the doors of the front foyer. And then he heard it.

The sound of fighting. The sharp ricochet of bullets.

Something was very, very wrong.

He unleashed his claws, where in the main entrance hallway, a group of small, black-clad people were fighting the X-Men. They were like snakes, striking hard and fast. A few had small pistols, but weren't using them when he walked in, rather, using them as a threat.

He reacted immediately, driving his claws into the nearest stranger's chest. The faceless person gurgled out a scream before falling to the ground. Logan glanced up to meet a surprised Hank's gaze.

"Jesus, what the fuck happened?" Logan swore, before springing into action.

He fought beside Storm, Hank, Bobby, Kurt, Kitty and Colossus, until the group of injured assassins, realizing they were outnumbered, slipped away. The one deceased assassin thanks to Logan's efforts had been carried off. There was a lingering aura of shock in the group.

"What the fuck happened here?" Logan breathed out, turning on the group. He was met with a heavy silence. No one had the answer to his question.

"Where's Kaia?" He realized aloud.

"I think she got away with Warren," Hank responded, slightly out of breath. Storm was already worriedly checking in on Kitty, who looked faint. Hank glanced over at her before continuing. "But I'm not sure. We don't know what happened. Somehow a small group of these people got in. We found three dead ones in Kaia's room. There weren't too many of them altogether. Rogue took the children." He looked frazzled and stressed. Since Xavier's death, the mansion had been relatively secure. Until now.

Bobby stood up. "I'll go get Rogue, let her know it's okay." He disappeared before anyone could respond. Logan gazed around the rest of the group, who all looked exhausted and upset.

"Is anyone hurt?" Storm asked worriedly. They all collectively shook their heads, except Logan, who was deep in thought.

"They didn't shoot directly at us. They just demanded to know where she was."

Colossus said softly in response. Logan punched the nearest wall, the pain searing up his arm and ebbing away quickly.

"I should've been here. Where is she?" He growled. Hank put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We'll split up. Half of us keep watch around the mansion in case anyone returns… enemy or Kaia. And until then, the rest of us will wait in Xavier's office."

Logan let his head hang as he followed Hank to the office to wait, while Kurt, Colossus and Kitty kept watch. It wasn't his fault, but he still felt responsible. He shouldn't have left.

* * *

Kaia was in the middle of tolerating Warren's pointless banter when he suddenly froze, his face dissolving into an expression of fear. Confused and slightly annoyed by his sudden change in demeanor, she paused.

"What. Warren, what is it?" She asked, feeling a slight inkling of worry in her chest, when all of the sudden, Warren outstretched his wings. It was a grand sight, Kaia still remembered the shock she had felt when she had first seen them. They were beautiful, and he suddenly shot up in the air, and someone crashed down.

Kaia reacted immediately, without even thinking. She withdrew her claws, and driving them into the person's back, felt them collapse against her before crumpling to the floor. Her senses suddenly acute, she shoved Warren out of the way, stabbing the two other men who had arrived at the door of her room upon hearing the commotion. They too, collapsed.

Annoyed at herself for not seeing the first one as soon as she walked into the room, her body tensed. She swore in annoyance as Warren, folding his wings, turned to her window and smashed it with his bare fist. The noise was loud, and would surely attract people's attention. She opened her mouth to tell him off, but he interrupted.

"Come on," He said, it was then she noticed he was shirtless. His wings had ripped his nice jumper right off.

"I'm not flying with you," She managed to snap. The thought of it was terrifying enough. "I'd much rather stay and fight these sons of bitches." She prodded one of the limp people on the floor roughly with one foot, furious. She had predicted this. They were here. For her.

"NO, Kaia. You're coming." He stepped towards her, and she backed away.

"Warren, this is my fault. I have to fight." She said evenly, but Warren stepped towards her again, his face angry.

"If this is about you, then you have to leave. Now. Our people are good fighters and they can take care of themselves. But they will be furious, if you get caught in the process. We're going."

It was the most serious she had ever seen him, and her moment of hesitance was all he needed. He swept her up in his arms, and carrying her, jumped out of the window.

His wings caught the momentum and they soared upwards. Her heart was beating so hard she thought it might fly out of her chest, and she looked up at Warren, who was looking ahead.

"Not as bad as you thought?" He asked shortly, and she shuddered. "No," She admitted. "At least when I don't look down." The wind was fresh against her face, the movement was exhilarating. He nodded, his face serious.

"You okay?" He finally asked, looking down at her. She nodded. "I'm fine." They flew in the air silently, passing the mansion. She looked down. "This is all my fault," She muttered angrily. Warren didn't respond.

"Hey, check that out." He murmured. She glanced up, they had flown to where there was a view of the city. The entire skyline was lit up like a painting, jewels of colour visible. Kaia breathed out, amazed.

"Wow," She murmured. Warren looked down at her, her face was soft, tender.

"Pretty amazing, huh?" He grinned, soaring in the air. It was his favourite thing about flying to and from Manhattan to the X-Mansion.

"Hey," She said finally, her voice softer than it was before when she had been yelling at him. "Thanks for noticing that creep was on the ceiling of my room. I guess I wasn't concentrating."

He shrugged. "No worries. Anything for you." He flashed her a cheeky grin. She rolled her eyes. "I'm calling it even after you left me stranded on the crane, I guess." She relented.

"I saved your life just now!" Warren protested, before reaching a lone tall building on the fringe of the city, landing swiftly on the roof and placing Kaia back on her two feet. Kaia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, and technically, you also made me die too."

Warren winced. "Fair point."

The two of them stood on top of the building. "I say we hang out here for a while and then fly back, see if it's all okay. If not, then we'll need a Plan B."

Warren told her, sitting on a concrete slab where the city was in full view.  
Kaia paused, before sitting beside him. She looked at his wings.

"Stop looking at my wings, lady," Warren told her, pretending to be embarrassed. Kaia rolled her eyes. "You're welcome to look here all you like," He added, gesturing to his well sculpted upper body. Kaia rolled her eyes even more.

"They're cool," She told him, nodding at the wings. He shrugged. "I guess."

They fell into companionable silence, before Warren broke it, nudging her with his shoulder.

"So, who do I remind you of?"

Kaia sighed. "I'm _not _telling you. Least of all right now." She gave him a pointed look, and he shrugged. "Look Kaia. Yes, the situation sucks. But there's no point dwelling on it. We'll be going back to it soon enough. We may as well put it out of our minds and enjoy this scenery." He grinned, gazing out at the sparkling skyline. Kaia sighed heavily, before letting her shoulders slump and her body relax. After a moment, she rested her head on his shoulder, suddenly feeling drained and empty. She felt him gazing at her in surprise, as they sat, both deep in thought.

"I miss Brooklyn," She admitted. She sensed him watching her. "I bet. You have a killer apartment."

She turned on him, glaring. "Are you stalking me?"

He rolled his eyes. "Don't flatter yourself sweetheart. I rescued you." She didn't respond, shrugging. "If you're expecting me to thank you, don't. I don't even remember it." She told him shortly. He laughed. "Sure, sure." He paused, looking at her. Something about the way he was staring at her was both exhilarating, and confronting.

"Lucky you, being able to fly. That's one hell of a bearable mutation." She said suddenly, feeling awkward. His eyes flashed, and she immediately realized she had said the wrong thing.

"Just because I don't have claws like you, doesn't mean that I've had the perfect life." He told her in an even tone. She sighed. "Sorry. I say stupid fucking things sometimes." She muttered. It didn't sound like a very genuine apology but it was the most sincere she was going to get.

He looked up at the skyline, his face creased in sadness.

"When I was a kid I tried to cut them off with a knife." Surprised, she turned to him. "No way." He nodded ruefully, laughing. The laugh was bitter, and it shocked Kaia. He leaned forward, grabbing her hand. Her body stiffened at his touch, but he wasn't trying to hold it, instead, he directed it to a spot on his wing, which upon Kaia's touch, was hard with scar tissue. He dropped her hand, meeting Kaia's eyes.

"Yep. I was different then."

Silence hung in the air, tension between the two of them. His eyes were boring into hers. She felt her breath catch in her throat, getting lost in his eyes.

"Plus they're fucking heavy." He quipped, breaking the tension between them.  
Kaia snickered, looking away, confused at what had just happened. She felt on edge and nervous, and her thoughts wandered back to everyone back at the mansion, to what Logan was doing.

"We should head back." She stood up, agitated. It hadn't even been an hour but she wanted to return to normalcy. He stood up warily, nodding.

"Alright." He held out his arms, and after she accepted, he jumped off the building, holding her close. The few seconds of adrenaline disappeared once they had levelled out, flying back towards the mansion, away from the city. And this time, they flew in silence.


End file.
